Posts filed under 'Feeding a Crowd'
Valentine’s Day fell on the Lunar New Year this year so our big neighborhood celebration is happening this weekend. I can’t wait!
My recent trip to Shanghai and David Chang’s Momofuku inspired the menu for our Chinese New Year’s celebration. I was born in the year of the Tiger and am taking this party seriously! I will post the recipes over the next few days.
Planned Menu
Shrimp Toasts
Scallion Bread
Assorted Dim Sum
Curried Green Apples
From Momofuku: Quick Salt Pickles, Pickled Asian Pears and Kimichi
Long Noodles with Peanut sauce
Sesame Green Beans
Vegetarian Dumplings
Mango Pudding
Coconut New Year’s Cake
February 16th, 2010
This post could also be entitled "True Confessions of a Recipe Tester." Here’s the story: Marion is a very skilled soup maker who lives in NY State; she is also a Hannaford customer and two of her recipes were featured in the January/February issue of Hannaford fresh. Her recipes came through my kitchen last summer for basic testing.
As I read through the recipes, a few culinary red flags went off. What - no olive oil? no saute? Seasoning salt is the only seasoning? No broth, only water? Hmmm…What will I do with all the leftover soup?
Well, I tip my chef’s hat to Marion. This recipe, chock full of veggies, bright with tomatoes and studded with toothsome barley, has been made three times this winter. We have enjoyed this soup in the straight vegetarian version and with pulled rotisserie chicken meat. Slices of pre-cooked chicken sausage also worked great
Everyone who has tasted this soup agrees with my evaluation. This recipe is a winner, seasoning salt and all. Marco is especially fond of this soup. As he accents his bowl with way too much grated Parmesan, he likes to exclaim "See I do eat vegetables!" I like to portion it out for quick lunches from the freezer. I might add that this soup is very budget-friendly. Skip the take-out soup and brown bag it!
Scroll all the way to the end of this post for a slow cooker preparation.
Marian’s Vegetable Barley Soup
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 tomato cans of water (about 7 cups)
1 tsp. seasoning salt, more to taste
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 small onions, peeled and finely chopped
6 celery stalks, finely chopped
3 large carrots, peeled, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2/3 cup barley (rinsed and picked over for stones)
1 (16-oz.) pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
12-oz cooked chicken, cooked ground beef or fully cooked chicken sausage (optional)
good quality extra-virgin olive oil (optional for drizzling on finished soup)
In a large stockpot, combine tomatoes, water, seasoning salt, onions, celery, carrots, and barley. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir well and reduce heat to low. Simmer covered, for about 1 hour. Vegetables should be tender.
Add frozen mixed vegetables, increase heat to medium, and simmer until frozen vegetables are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
The soup is ready to be served at this point. If desired, add the cooked meat or poultry. This soup is thick. Thin with a little water if desired. Serve hot. For extra flavor, drizzle a very small amount of fragrant olive oil over the soup.
Adapted with Courtesy of Fresh Magazine November/December 2009
Cook’s Note: This recipe could easily be adapted for your slow cooker. Layer the carrots, onions and celery into the slow cooker. Sprinkle the barley and seasoning salt over the veggies. Add the tomatoes and 6 cups of water. Do not stir. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours. Thaw the frozen veggies on a plate on the counter while the soup cooks. To finish the soup, stir in the thawed vegetables and meat if using. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender and meat is warmed through. Add additional water if needed to thin out the soup. Adjust seasonings.
February 10th, 2010
Slow cookers and game day should go hand in hand. This pulled pork recipe is one of our favorites, not only for the Superbowl, but also for weekend suppers and summer parties.
Pulled Pork Sandwiches from Hannaford fresh Magazine January/February 2008
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup beer
2 (12-oz) bottles of your favorite grilling sauce
(I LOVE Hannaford’s Inspirations Red Apple Grilling Sauce)
1/4 cup of your favorite barbecue rub
2 to 2 1/2 lbs. boneless pork loins
12 ea Hamburger buns
1 (16-oz) bread and butter pickles
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Coleslaw
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
6 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/8 tsp Kosher salt
1 (8-oz) pkg. pre-shredded coleslaw mix
1. Put onion, beer, and 1/2 cup of the grilling sauce in a slow cooker. Stir well to combine. Put spice rub in a medium mixing bowl. Coat pork loins, one at a time, with spice rub, and add each one to slow cooker. Pork loins can be placed side by side or on top of each other. Cook on low temperature setting for 8 hours.
2. Make coleslaw. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, mustard, vinegar, mayonnaise, black pepper, and salt. Add coleslaw mix and toss to coat with dressing. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
3. When pork is done cooking, carefully transfer to a large bowl. Pour cooking juices through a strainer and reserve. Pour 2 cups of strained cooking juices and remaining grilling sauce (should be about 2 1/2 cups) back into slow cooker and stir well.
4. Using two forks, shred pork. Return shredded pork to slow cooker and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce. Keep pork covered and on low temperature setting until serving time. To serve, lay out hamburger buns, coleslaw, pickles, and sliced onion. Set a pair of tongs near the pork for easy sandwich making.
Do-Ahead Tip: Make coleslaw in the morning when you put the pork loins into the slow cooker. If you get everything going in the morning, the BBQ pork will be done by game time.
Source: Courtesy of Hannaford Fresh Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008
Just one more thing…
While we are on the subject of game day, don’t forget the dip! If you are looking for some fab "chips and dip" recipes to round out the buffet, click here for a Bon Appetit’s Top 10, inlcuding Smoky Black Bean Dip and Pimento Cheese Dip. Break out the Ruffles baby! And perhaps some vegetables for good measure.
January 30th, 2010
Before Christmas Barr offered up her Potted Shrimp recipe. I brought some along to a holiday party and it garnered rave reviews, the "Can I have that recipe?" kind of rave reviews.
When I was making the shrimp, I thought replacing the shrimp with wild mushrooms would result in a seriously delish vegetarian starter. We added these sherried shrooms to our Christmas buffet and along with my French Onion Soup, I was happy, happy happy. The name change is simply because "Potted Mushrooms" sounded like something that should be growing in a garden, instead of being served on crackers.
Sherried Mushroom Spread
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup finely diced shallots
1 bay leaf
6 Tbsp. butter at room temperature
1 lb. sliced cremini mushrooms
3 Tbsp. dry sherry
4 ounces whipped cream cheese ( about 1/2 a cup)
2 Tbsp. minced chives
(you can substitute scallions but use just the green parts thinly sliced)
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
Heat 2 Tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bay leaf and the mushrooms, season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms have given off all of their water and have begun to brown, about 15 minutes. Add the sherry and boil until the liquid is almost evaporated. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool. Discard the bay leaf.
Whip the remaining butter and cream cheese together. Add the mushrooms, herbs and lemon juice and mix until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve at room temperature with crostini or thin, crispy crackers.
January 14th, 2010
One of my favorite Middle Eastern spice mixtures in baharat, a wonderfully aromatic blend of 9 spices that includes cassia (cinnamon), paprika, black pepper, cumin, allspice, cardamom, clove, corinader and nutmeg. It lends itself to just about anything from potatoes to pork. I especially love it on pork tenderloin.
It’s easy enough to make if you have a spice grinder and all the spices in your pantry. Otherwise, my friends at the Savory Spice Shop have a unique blend that features ginger as well. Over the holidays flavorista Tracey and I made this and served it with her favorite Israeli Couscous. Some leftover roasted broccoli bits were mixed into the couscous. I served it this summer for Sue’s Nifty Party. This pork is outstanding served hot or cold!
Citrus and Baharat Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Marinade
2 Tbsp. orange zest
2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp. lime zest
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup baharat spice blend
2 pork tenderloins
Place all the ingredients, except the baharat, into a large mixing bowl. On the stove in a dry skillet, heat the baharat until it starts to release its aroma. While whisking the juices, add the spice mixture. Place the pork tenderloins in to large zip lock bags or a non-reactive mixing bowl and pour the marinade over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Make sure that all the pork is submerged into the mixture. Ziploc bags work great for marinating for this very reason.
An hour or so before you want to cook the pork, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. You can either grill or roast the pork, either way it is delicious. Cook until it is medium rare. Meanwhile reduce the marinade over medium/low heat until it has been reduced by half to make a zesty sauce. You can skip this step but it’s nice to have the added flavors.
Remove the pork from the grill, place it onto a platter and cover for about 10 minutes. This is very important as you want all those juices. Heat a large serving platter and place your couscous onto it. I like to place my carving board into a baking sheet so that I can really capture the juices, this also more santitary as they won’t run all over your counter. Slice the pork and place it on top of the couscous. Pour the juices on top and serve!
January 8th, 2010
Are you one of those folks who loves to order French Onion Soup at restaurants? There is just something special about French Onion Soup and its traditional cheesy crouton crust. Making this classic soup in your slow cooker is so easy you won’t believe it.
Three pounds of onions caramelize in the slow cooker and then broth is added to complete the dish. E-A-S-Y and very, very tasty. Then the soup is ladled into bowls or crocks with crusty baguette topped with Parmesan and gruyere and baked - DELISH!
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup adapted from Lora Brody’s Slow Cooker Cooking
Serves 6 - 8
Caramelizing the onions can be done ahead of time (through step 1) and them the soup can just be pulled together quickly for service. These amazing onions can be used for all sorts of other things too: Pizza, Risotto, Isreali Couscous, Savory Bread Pudding.
4 Tbsp. butter
3 lbs. onions (shallots, sweet, purple - whatever you have at home)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 tesapoon ground black pepper
6 cups broth (vegetable, chicken or beef)
1/4 kosher salt, more to taste
16 thin baguette slices, toasted
1/2 cup grates Parmesan
1 cup grated gruyere
1. Add butter to the slow cooker and melt on high. Cut the onions into thin 2-inch strips. Once butter is melted, reduce heat to low. Add onions, thyme and black pepper stir well to coat the onions with the butter and seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 12 - 14 hours, stirrring once. Onions should be golden brown and caramelized (see below).
2. Increase heat to high. Add broth and salt. Cover and cook to heat through, about 2 hours. Adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
3. Preheat oven to 450°F. Transfer hot soup to oven-safe bowls and top each bowl with two toasted baguette slices and 1 Tbsp. Parmesan and 2 Tbsp. gruyere. Place bowls onto a baking sheet and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Remind your guests that the bowls are extremely hot!
Flavorista made it into the finals for a Homie Award over at Apartment Therapy. When you have a free moment, please cast one more vote for us. Click here to vote.
While you are in the voting spirit, please cast a vote for our friends over at Remodelista, a finalist in the Home Design category. Thanks!
January 3rd, 2010
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